First I have to say that this is the first book I have read by Kasie West and it will not be the last. I absolutely loved this book. It was so fun to read and I couldn't put it down. The chemistry between the main characters was amazing. Plus the friendships they had was a plus to the story.

Finley is into podcasting and she has her own that she posts every week. Finley's dream is to be accepted into the senior year podcasts at school and be the lead podcaster. She goes to the tryouts when she realizes her boyfriend Jensen is going to audition for the lead caster spot as well. That throws Finley for a loop and she is angry at him because why would he do that to her knowing she has waited three long years to audition for the caster part.

Then the parts are posted and Jensen gets the lead part while Finley gets the research part. Jensen gets the lead part and Finley is upset and angry at him and breaks up with him. Then she tells her friends and they come up with this amazing revenge list and Finley picks one that she knows will get Jensen angry.

As the revenge plan goes into action Finley is getting happy knowing that her plan will work. But something unexpected happens that has Finley thinking about more than revenge.

Thank you to #Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC copy.

When your boyfriend suddenly auditions for, and gets, the job you have wanted for years, he immediately becomes your "ex" and revenge is in order. That's exactly what happens to Finley, and she's ready to take his 'job'... as kicker for the high school football team. Finley teams up with her ex's nemesis Theo who coaches her to beat Jensen. They quickly develop a cute friendship, that slowly develops into a romance... but Theo is keeping secrets of his own.

I loved all the other characters in this book too. Finley's grandmother and their podcast was so sweet, and her friends, who had the perfect amount of skepticism and joy about her relationship with Theo.

A quick, cute YA romance that will make you smile.

I was starting to fall into a slump and nothing was sounding good... Then entered this adorable YA romcom from Kasie West. I requested an arc on NetGalley because I've read some of her others and really enjoyed her writing style. Quick and easy to read, I was excited to give this one a go - and it was SO good! I adored Finley and Theo so so much. The banter was fun, the slow fall was sweet. Truly the only hard part of reading this was having the antagonist share a name with my child lol!

This book is a delightful mix of humor, romance, and a touch of drama that kept me turning the pages late into the night. West has a unique talent for creating relatable characters that feel like friends. The protagonist’s journey through friendship, betrayal, and self-discovery is both engaging and heartfelt. I loved how the story tackled themes of revenge and forgiveness in such a witty and lighthearted way. The banter between the characters is hilarious and had me laughing out loud!

The plot twists were unexpected and kept me on my toes, making it a thrilling read. I found myself rooting for the characters as they navigated their complicated relationships, and the romantic tension was just perfect—sweet and satisfying!

I loved this story! It was a perfect mix of drama and romance, which will make you feel like you're back in high school. Finley is an amateur podcaster who has her heart set on working for the school podcast, and she also has a personal podcast telling her grandmother's story. On a whim, her boyfriend Jensen applies for the podcast as well. He gets one of the host spots, landing Finley on the research team, and he also says some less than complimentary things about her over the loudspeaker. After that, Finley decides to plot her revenge, by working with Jensen's nemesis, Theo, and trying out for his spot as the kicker on the football team! Sparks fly between her and Theo, and Jensen is not thrilled. While all of this is occurring, Finley's grandmother is telling the story of her epic romance with a talented local artist, as they attempt to find the painted surfboard she described. There's a lot of misunderstandings, drama, and overall high school charm, and Finley is a likable protagonist. Overall, I thought it was a delightful read!

Once again, I have a new book boyfriend in Theo. The chemistry and banter between Finley and Theo left me grinning every time and I was so hoping they would end up together. I adored Finley's friends too--they all have a fierce loyalty to each other and make the time to be together and stay close. Finley's friends are a diverse group and ones I would love to have in my life.

Besides a book about revenge, this novel has deeper issues that give it so much heart. My favorite was Finley and her relationship with her grandma. I loved how close they were and how Finley wanted to record her grandmother's memories. Finley's podcast goals for her future career add a fun aspect to her personality and one I cheered for her to succeed. Thanks to NetGalley for my early e-copy.

This is a very cute, lighthearted and quick read, perfect for when you're looking for a palette cleanser! Finley has been betrayed by her ex in a certain way and is set out for revenge when she coincidentally comes across Theo, her ex's nemesis. Together, they both devise a plan to get back at her ex and end up having the hots for eachother.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book! I think Kasie West's book are so cute! This one was no exception. I loved Theo, I thought he was such a sweetheart and clearly liked Finley from the beginning. I thought their banter was fun and Theo's cockiness made me like him more. I found Jensen annoying and he drove me crazy how he didn't see that what he did was wrong and hurtful. The extra storyline included of Finley's grandma was interesting, but I sometimes found myself wanting to skip those scenes to get back to Finley's story. My favorite parts were Theo teaching Finley. Those scenes always made me want to kick my feet. Overall I enjoyed this book and it was a cute read.

Sometimes you just need a palatte cleanse. I have read one other Kassie West book and loved it so I was excited to read this ARC. It was so cute.

Finley dreams of hosting the school podcast her senior year. But during tryouts the spring before, her then boyfriend tries out behind her back and gets the spot over her. She wants revenge, so she teams up with an unlikely partner to bring her ex down.

This was a perfect YA quick read that releases at the beginning of the year.

This was such a fun YA read! I’ve never read anything by Kasie West but definitely will be when looking for cute quick reads! The love story was super cute and all the side characters fleshed out a well rounded group. I loved how supportive the entire friend group was. Despite being a YA read, it still touches on tough topics and I think it handled those scenes with the care and love they desired. The romance between the main characters were cute and I recommend to anyone looking for a new YA book to read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This was the first Kasie West book that I’ve read and it certainly did not disappoint! It was such a light, fun read. Having been reading adult romances for a while I was excited to jump back into what got me into reading which was cute young adult romances where the main characters were still in high school.

Better Than Revenge follows Finley whose one goal is to become a famous podcaster, especially for her high school. After brainstorming and coming up with ideas she’s finally ready for tryouts. Confident in her pitch when she comes out she’s surprised to see Jensen (her boyfriend) waiting on her. The reason behind it makes her feel betrayed and confused when he decides to try out as well as stealing away her only opportunity to be one of the two podcasters. When Jensen wins the spot Finley takes matters into her own hands by getting revenge on Jensen by recruiting his nemesis for help setting up a part of the storyline.

I truly enjoyed the characters and the overall plot and storyline! I adored both Finley and Theo not to mention Finley’s friend group were really supportive and very likable when they all helped her come up with ways for revenge. The main plan for revenge is that Finley would try and take Jensen’s spot on the football team as the kicker. Once Jensen’s nemesis, Theo comes in to help Finley her revenge goes a different way than she had initially planned, overall the direction of the book keeps it interesting.

The storyline with Finley's grandmother, Charlotte drew me in from the start and left me wondering where it was going to go once she was introduced in Better Than Revenge. It seemed to lighten up the mood and it keeps you guessing about her past whenever Finley interviews her for her podcast that she records from her home. I enjoyed that part so much that I was sad whenever I finished reading because that part made it fun to read about and kept me engaged.

I highly recommend Kasie West’s book Better For Revenge if you are looking for a good Young Adult swoony rom-com!

Thank you both NetGalley and Random House Children’s for the early arc in exchange for my honest review💙

I am disappointed! alas, kasie west's books just aren't the same for me anymore. this was cute and entertaining, but the writing felt like a first draft, and the fmc had terribly bad judgement. the worst part was the story lacked any of the usual depth kasie adds to her books. can we go back to her real life people on book covers era!?

I loved this! It was my first Kasie West novel, definitely a very typical cute YA story. It had undertones of all the classic teen movies and gave me the vibes of She’s the Man and John Tucker Must Die. Plus the B story with Finley’s grandmother made for a fun way to drive the plot forward. Everything felt just fleshed out enough to be believable and enjoyable but still fun. I wish I got more coastal California vibes, location is more important to the story than it seems and I wish I was able to visualize it a bit more. Overall just a fun cute read!

Some really cute YA banter/ love story and a great palette cleanser! I loved the side cast of characters and the supportive friend group! Will definitely read more books by this author!

I thought this was adorble romance and had a nice balance of high school drama and also just fun vibes. I also liked how this book tackled harder topics like demtia and also just unique intreasts like podcasting. I also was fond of the romacne and really loved all the side characters!!

5 Stars

I did an internal happy dance when I received an early copy of Better Than Revenge! I was thrilled because I have been a long time stan of Kasie West and have read all of her books. Better Than Revenge has got to be one of my favorites & definitely in my top three!

Finley is a junior in high school who has dreamed of being a host on her school’s podcast for as long as she can remember. She’s finally reached try-outs after preparing for years when the coveted spot is stolen from her not only by someone she trusts but someone who also stole her idea to win! She decides the only way forward is to exact revenge and teams up with an unlikely source to help her plan succeed.

Better Than Revenge was funny, swoony & very reminiscent of your favorite teen comedy you grew up watching over and over. I think Kasie writes the perfect YA romantic comedies! I truly can’t wait to share them with my daughter one day. They’re funny &
sweet while also not being juvenile or explicit. If you’re not a teenager anymore (like me) then I would say if you still enjoy watching your favorite teen movies you grew up with like Ten Things I Hate About You, She’s All That, Mean Girls or She’s The Man then you might really love Kasie West! My favorites off the top of my head are this one, Borrow My Heart & P.S. I Like You!

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Children’s for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who’s an avid reader of young adult books, when I read the synopsis of Better Than Revenge, I couldn’t wait to dive into the story.

We meet our main character, Finley, as she’s getting ready to try out for her schools podcast. Things don’t go as planned when her boyfriend, Jensen, decides to try out as well and ends up landing the role.

Upset, Finley’s determination to get him back leads to her trying out for the for schools football team. With the help of her handsome but cocky enemy, Theo, Finely will have no problem at tryouts.

But when complicated feelings and a thirst for revenge mix together, is it possible for things to work out?

From the start of the story, West doesn’t waste time diving into the thick of things. Seeing all the characters different personalities unfold truly made them stick out beyond the page.

Finely as our main protagonist was enjoyable, but I wish we would’ve gotten more depth from her. At times, she did fall a bit flat for me. Other than that, I loved seeing her relationship with her grandmother. Their podcast episodes together had to be one of my favorite parts of the story.

Theo was such a witty and charming love interest. The banter between the two main characters was cute and swoon worthy. The last few scenes could only be described as the perfect romcom ending.

Overall, Better Than Revenge is a sweet treat of a book that I’ll most definitely be recommending to anyone looking for an adorable young adult romance.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Kasie West for sending me this arc in exchange for a honest review.

Thank you Kasie West and NetGalley for this eARC.

If you are looking for one of the cutest YA romances to cleanse the pallet, you have found it here.
All Finley has dreamed of since starting high school is hosting the school podcast. When her football player boyfriend decides to try out for the podcast with no warning and gets it... cue revenge time with the help of her (ex) boyfriend's rival, Theo.

One aspect of the book I really enjoyed was the relationship Finely had with her friend group. I wish we would have seen more of Theo's relationships in the book. I also loved loved loved Finley's relationship with her grandma. As a grandma's girl, it hit close to my heart.

Trigger warning for caregivers of a family member with memory impairments/dementia.

Super cute read. 4/5 stars

When it comes to YA contemporary books, I always have to remind myself that the characters are supposed to be stupid, immature, and cringy. I enjoyed the fact that Finley and Theo seem to be aware of their actions and own up to them, but a lot of it I still said “yikes” to. Also, I need to know whose parents don’t ask questions about where their child is going at all random times of the day or do not check in after a breakup. They ask her about their parenting, and sometimes as amazing as it would be to not have your parents grill you about everything, Finley is still a child and needs support. Baffled me a little there. I also was more invested in her grandma’s story the whole time and wish we got to know more.

I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

title: Better than Revenge

author: Kasie West

publisher: Delacorte Romance

publication date: December 31, 2024

pages: 320

peppers: 1 (on this scale)

warnings: none

summary: When Finley's boyfriend thoughtlessly auditions for and gets the podcast spot Finley has wanted for a long time, she enlists the help of her now ex-boyfriend's nemesis to teach her how to kick a football, a skill she will use to take the thing he most wants away from him.

tropes:

getting revenge
secret training sessions
friends-to-couple
cocky kid who turns out to be shy
interesting family history

what I liked:

sweet characters
good lesson

what I didn’t like: nothing, though reading YA for the first time in a long time hit different.

overall rating: 5 (of 5 stars)